Tag: e-reading

Maybe I’m just not picky or it’s just that I’m just a weirdo, but I’ve never hated a book. Maybe I ended up not liking it or parts of it confused me. There have been some that are so hard to finish because they’re just not up my alley, but I’ve made it work. Basically, what I’m saying is, I’ve never really and truly hated a book.

There is method to my madness, and I’d like to think some people would agree. Everyone has their favorite types of genres, I do too. Yet I still can’t bring myself to use that “H-word”, and perhaps you can’t either.

If you’re a bookworm like I think you are, you’re most likely very passionate about your choice of reading material. But unless your latest book is your arch nemesis or dishonored your whole family, then saying you hate it may seem a bit close-minded. Everyone deserves a chance, even a second chance. Plus I don’t believe you read the same book twice, it teaches different things and stirs up different thoughts every time you read it.

I find it hard to dislike something fully, maybe because I’m a hopeful sucker. However, at one point, you picked up that book ad chose that to be your new friend for the next few days or weeks. Even if you think it turned out to be a bust, there must be something about the format or wording or part of the plot that struck a small chord in you. Perhaps just the cover is what you took from it, but hey, it’s something!

Yes, even if that perspective isn’t yours. It’s good to step out of your own little world and see something that you might not agree with or think you would never say or do. Especially if it’s non-fiction, some things you just can’t grasp until you read it on paper. Before you use the “H-word”, remember that a single page could change everything you’ve ever known.

And how the hell could you hate something like that? Books on inspiring soccer quotes? They have that. Books on rare deep sea fish that don’t live in the light? That exists. Books on ancient art that doesn’t even exist anymore? It’s a thing. So even if it’s not your pace or something you’d voluntarily choose, they’re still some of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.

Maybe you’re still sticking to your feelings and I do respect that; you can’t like every single thing. Just always keep in mind and as the kids would say: Don’t hate, appreciate.

What if I told you that despite the popular belief that children are more likely to read on a device like an iPad or a Kindle, research shows that this isn’t necessarily true.

The study showed that children in Years 4 and 6 who had consistent access to devices that could be used as eReaders didn’t typically use these devices to read, even if they were reading books daily. The study also showed that the more devices the children had access to, the less they read overall. This suggests that electronic reading devices can actually hinder reading in children.

A previous study showed similar results in teenagers; some students enjoyed reading books on electronic devices, but most of the students did not use their devices for this purpose. The study showed the teenagers reading the highest quantity of books at the highest frequency did not read on a screen.

Via Giphy

Education writer Marc Prensky first coined the term “digital natives”, characterizing a whole generation of children with “high digital literacy and a uniform preference for screen-based reading.” The issue within this mindset is the same with standardized testing – not all children have the same skills and abilities.

The misconception grew, impacting decisions for schools and public libraries not only in the United States. Some libraries have removed all paper books as a response, while more and more schools, from elementary to college levels, are increasing their use of digital resources.

For me, the reasons why reading on a screen is less ideal than reading from a printed book are numerous. I’m easily distracted on a screen. I like the feel of flipping pages. Notifications from everyone make it hard to keep track of where I am. Books just feel great in your hands. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

With both children and teenagers proven to read better on printed books, it’s only a matter of time before it’s scientifically proven that everyone prefers a book to an eReader. So let’s come together as a society and stop focusing so hard on eReaders and start focusing back on print. Right?

Struggling to get through challenging books like Infinite Jest and other classic, but dense novels? Kindle’s lesser-known and highly underrated feature, Word Runner, can help you with just that.

Kindle’s Word Runner works through rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) which centers the words on a screen, enacting a stream of consciousness-like flow to reading. To help with comprehension of the texts, the feature uses Dynamic Pacing to slow down the scanning at commas, periods, and punctuation marks.

Example of RSVP | via Good E Reader

Along with the stream of consciousness-like flow that RSVP creates, it can also help cut down on a common habit among readers known as subvocalization. Subvocalization is the habit of saying words in your head while reading, ultimately slowing down reading speeds.

To monitor your speed reading abilities, Word Runner enables you to see your reading speed for a chapter at the end of it. At the end of a chapter, readers are also given the chance to share their speeds with others on social media.

Reading is kind of like sex – mentally we may want to do it nonstop, but physically we can get burned out and it stops being enjoyable for the rest of the day. Maybe your mind is exhausted and you haven’t read a book in a few hours, or nights, maybe even WEEKS! Perhaps you’ve lost your reading mo-jo. You’re lacking in focus, you cant stay awake to read before bed, or maybe you just feel you don’t have the time anymore.

Well, here are ten quotes to get you out of this dry, paperless spell.

Gif Via You’reKillingUs.com

1. “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”
Oscar Wilde

2. “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
Stephen King

3. “A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it or offer your own version in return.”
Salman Rushdie

4. “Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled “This could change your life.””
Helen Exley

5. “Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.”
Mason Cooley

6. “A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.”
William Styron

7. “I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense.”
Harold Kushner

8. “Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.”
P.J. O’Rourke

9. “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
Charles William Eliot

10. “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
Ray Bradbury

It is a common misconception that young people are so obsessed with technology that they shudder at the touch of paper, have forgotten how to use pens, and can only relate to abstract concepts such as ‘likes’ and ‘the internet.’

Via Laughing Gifs

As pointed out in this article on The Conversation, the myth is so pervasive that it has affected book-sourcing practices in many school libraries in countries like the United States and Australia, with some abandoning paper books altogether in favor of e-readers. I KNOW. I can hear your horrified gasps from here.

However, it is just that: a myth. Studies show that in fact young people prefer reading physical books, and the more screens and devices they have access to, the less inclined they are to read. In Margaret K. Merga’s article, she presents the following findings from her research of 997 children. Merga writes:

Children underutilised devices for recreational book reading, even when daily book readers

Reading frequency was less when children had access to mobile phones.

Reading in general was less when children were given access to more digital devices.

This is the case for a number of reasons. Reading via an application on a device offers the endless possibility of distraction. It is so easy to switch between apps, to check the answer to every little question that occurs to one while reading, to play games online, to google the name of that person who played the daughter of the person who played the role of the character in the book you’re supposed to be reading in the film adaptation of that other book, no the other one from years ago, yeah her, ooh look what else she was in, I don’t remember her in that, who did she play, oh her hair was weird in that film what’s that style called so I can avoid it forever… You get me. There is also the problem of knowing where to find reading resources online. You cannot simply hand a fourth grader an iPad and tell them to go read a book. What fourth grader is familiar with Project Gutenberg, for example? Additional research shows that while some teenagers do enjoy screen-based reading, the majority of teens who are avid readers prefer actual books.

Not so | Via Tumblr

Creating an environment that praises and rewards reading is posited as one of the top ways to keep children engaged and interested in reading for pleasure. Encouraging silent reading both in class and at home, and enthusiastic teachers who value the act of reading are also important in cultivating a young person’s love of reading. Allowing young people to select their own reading material is also key in making sure they see reading not as a chore but as something enjoyable and relaxing.

The fact young people aren’t rejecting beloved paper books is a relief to bookworms. After all, what’s not to love? We even love the smell of books! Hopefully these studies can help dispel the idea that techno-rabid young folk have forgotten what ‘books’ are, and libraries can STOP GETTING RID OF THEIR LOVELY PAPER BOOKS OH MY GOD.

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